


Piper Maru

by 30xf



Series: 201 Days Of X Files [63]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 09:42:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6324283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/30xf/pseuds/30xf





	Piper Maru

Mercifully, Scully has the elevator to herself. But she realizes, when it starts descending faster than she remembered it ever doing, that she should have taken the stairs. Or at least made a detour to the bathroom after leaving Skinner's office. Her tears start, and she does her best to hold them in. The elevator stops at the lobby and she startles at the opening of the doors. She puts on her best fake smile for the agent waiting there.

"Up?" he asks, one foot in the doors.

Scully shakes her head, "Down." She hopes it didn't come out as strangled as it felt in her throat.

The agent nods understanding and backs out of the elevator with an apologetic smile.

She leans as casually as possible against the wall and waits for the doors to close. They are just barely shut when her composure slips again. She lets one sob out into her hand before gaining control. As the elevator comes to rest in the basement, Scully takes a deep breath and waits for the doors to open. She heads confidently for Mulder's office, but at the last moment redirects to the small basement bathroom.

Once inside, she closes and locks the door. The room is tiny, having been repurposed from an old utility closet. It has a toilet and a small counter with a sink. The only waste basket is a little one tucked under the counter that Scully usually empties herself, since the cleaners don't always remember. One of the benefits of being in the basement though is a ready supply of toilet paper and paper towels right down the hall. Scully sets the file she has with her on the counter. She grabs a handful of toilet paper, reasoning it's softer than the paper towels, and catches her tears just as they begin to fall. She thinks she would have been fine if she'd gone straight into the office. She'd have been quieter than usual, but she'd have been able to control her emotions. It's good to get this out though, she knows. Better to do it now than when she has to tell her mother that the FBI is making her sister's case inactive. She'll need her composure then to comfort her mother.

Scully leans her back against the wall and takes a few deep breaths, letting them out slowly. Hands on her hips, she wills the tears to stop. She wipes her face only when they're all done. She wets a paper towel with cold water and pats it over her eyes, hoping to clear up some of the redness. Once that's done, she examines herself in the mirror. Thankful she put on waterproof mascara this morning, she rationalizes that she doesn't look normal, but not too bad either. She could probably pass for not having slept enough.

With her hand on the door knob, her sister's face flashes before her eyes and for just a moment, Scully almost breaks again. But then she thinks of Mulder. She could tell him, of course. She could tell him about her sister's case, and he'd understand. He'd probably suggest she leave work to go talk to her mother if she wants. He'd even offer to go with her to break the news. But she knows, as she has come to realize, that the other side of the office door, and Mulder himself, often offers her an escape. Or rather a coping mechanism. To cope with her sister's newly inactive case; her sister's death; her father's death; and their cases themselves. So instead of telling Mulder what's bothering her, she'll listen. She'll listen to what he called her excitedly this morning to tell her to meet him at the office for. She'll listen, and she'll feel more like herself. If only until work is done and she needs to visit her mother.

She takes a deep breath before knocking on the door, something she forgets is not her usual practice. "Sorry I'm late," she begins, the familiar smell of the office infusing her with the strength she needs.

"Anything up?" Mulder asks. 

She knew he'd see something wrong. But she also knows that her, "No, it's nothing," will be accepted. He'll take it not at face value, but as her cue that she's not ready to talk about it. Not yet.


End file.
